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Mayor hopes new director will help curb violence in Louisville

Mayor Greg Fischer said the city needs to stay the course in its fight against violence, despite this year's unusually high number of homicides.

Mayor hopes new director will help curb violence in Louisville

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Updated: 6:28 AM EST Dec 24, 2015

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

Louisville has seen 82 homicides so far this year, which is the most since 1979.

The city's mayor announced a new hire he hopes will help address the problem.

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Mayor Greg Fischer said the city needs to stay the course in its fight against violence, despite this year's unusually high number of homicides.

Fischer addressed the issue while introducing the city's new director of the Office Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods -- Rashaad Abdur-Rahman.

The mayor said it's unclear what's behind the spike in homicides this year, but as the new director of the city's office, Rahman will oversee a variety of long-term strategies to find a solution.

“It's not easy to hear that it's a long-term view, it's not an easy thing to hear at all, but I think we need to be able to continue to sustain and continue to invest in this community effort,” Abdur-Rahman said.

After a series of high-profile shootings in 2012, the mayor created the Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, as well as a violence prevention task force.

Fischer said the city will intervene with gunshot victims in hospitals to stop retaliatory shootings.